Brian's Max-OT Workout Program

[BJW]

Hey, I just started the Max-OT program cause I was looking for a good split program. I just finished 10 weeks of the Body-For-Life program and I'm tired of the upper/lower body split. I wanted something with lower reps/more weight for some serious strength/size gain.

Little info. I'm 24, started lifting when I was around 14 or 15 for sports. I played football in college so I've been training with a football type program (lots of power lifts like hang clean, snatch squats. . .all that fun stuff) for a while. I just graduated from college last year so I'm finally lifting for me and not some coach (I was always lifting for me, but now it's different, if you know what I mean). Anyway, I'd taken quite a break from lifting in the last few years, (I was a student assistant coach my 5th year of college--used all my eligibility in my 1st 4 years), so the body-for-life program was a good experience to get me back into the lifting mind set. I'm 6'1, @200 (down from my 230 lb linebacker weight, haha) at about 15% bodyfat. The body for life program got me from 206 at 21% bodyfat to 201 at 15%.

Hope you guys will follow along. I know watching your programs is a good motivation for me. PLease post any thoughts/feedback you might have.

-Brian

[GUNZOFNAVARONE]

Originally posted by BJW
Hey, I just started the Max-OT program cause I was looking for a good split program. I just finished 10 weeks of the Body-For-Life program and I'm tired of the upper/lower body split. I wanted something with lower reps/more weight for some serious strength/size gain.

Little info. I'm 24, started lifting when I was around 14 or 15 for sports. I played football in college so I've been training with a football type program (lots of power lifts like hang clean, snatch squats. . .all that fun stuff) for a while. I just graduated from college last year so I'm finally lifting for me and not some coach (I was always lifting for me, but now it's different, if you know what I mean). Anyway, I'd taken quite a break from lifting in the last few years, (I was a student assistant coach my 5th year of college--used all my eligibility in my 1st 4 years), so the body-for-life program was a good experience to get me back into the lifting mind set. I'm 6'1, @200 (down from my 230 lb linebacker weight, haha) at about 15% bodyfat. The body for life program got me from 206 at 21% bodyfat to 201 at 15%.

Hope you guys will follow along. I know watching your programs is a good motivation for me. PLease post any thoughts/feedback you might have.

-Brian

good luck, max ot worked wonders for me...

[BJW]

Little more info on my diet/supplementing. Here is an area where I have never done it right in the past. I always thought I was a hard-gainer, just cause my diet sucked, and I never was consistent with supplements. If the body-for-life program did one thing for me it was teach me how to eat right.

Daily caloric intake:
@2000 to 2300 cals
50/40/10 protein/carbs/fat split
6 evenly spaced/proportioned meals a day

I try and get a serving of vegetables with 2 of my meals. 3 real food meals and 3 supplement meals. I usually take 1 free day where I just go crazy with food, but I'm trying to stop (i'm convinced it's hindering me big-time).

Supplements:
Swole V.2 (just started taking this today--I'm a creating non-responer---VERY interested in what this will do to me) I take it 30 mins prior to working out (about 5:45 a.m.) and at dinner (@7:00 p.m.)

Labrada Low Carb Lean Body - use for meal replacements. I try and get 3 real food meals a day and 3 MRP meals a day

ON 100% Whey - also used for meal replacements or to pack an extra protein punch for a noon meal

Pretty basic supplement stack. . .protein and creatine

[BJW]

Thanks gunz!

Hopefully you'll follow along.

[BJW]

Monday 3.15.04: Chest and Biceps. 6:15 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

This was the first Max-OT workout. The workouts in this week might not be optimal, just because I'm not sure what weight to put on the bar to get 4 to 6 reps with positive failure. Same thing with every workout, I suppose. My body is actually getting used to getting up at 5:30 (I just started lifting in the morning before work--sick and tired of waiting in line for a bench and getting home at 8:00 p.m.). This was a pretty decent workout.

Bench Press
12 x 115 (warmup)
10 x 115 (warmup)
6 x 135 (warmup)
3 x 155 (warmup)
1 x 185 (warmup)
5 x 215
3 x 225
4 x 215
*My predicted rep max for bench is about 245 (with 5 x 215). This is not as much as I had hoped. Back in my football prime I did a 290 rep max. I now have a goal, haha. Actually, my short term goal is to gain 30 pounds on it in 3 months, which I feel is very feasible. Maybe even 40+. My longer term goal is to bench 300.

Smith Machine Incline
6 x 185
5 x 205
4 x 215

Cable Crossovers
6 x 70
5 x 70

DB Flies
4 x 50

EZ Bar Curls
6 x 95
4 x 105
6 x 95

Striaght Bar Curls
6 x 80
4 x 90
5 x 80

DB Hammer Curls
5 x 35
6 x 35

Hammer Strength Machine Biceps
6 x 70

[BJW]

Also did some H.I.I.T cardio today after work (around 6:30 p.m.):

2.7 miles in 20 minutes on the treadmill.

[BJW]

Back and Triceps:

Back
12 x 70 warmup
10 x 70 warmup
6 x 90 warmup
3 x 130 warmup
1 x 180 warmup
6 x 230
6 x 250
6 x 260

Cable Rows
6 x 165
6 x 165
5 x 165

Lat Pulldowns
6 x 160
6 x 170

French Press (scull crushers)
5 x 95
5 x 95
6 x 95

Cable Triceps Pulldown
4 x 150
5 x 150

Reverse Grip Cable Pulldown
6 x 120
4 x 140

Tricep Machine (not sure of the name or anything, just some triceps maching in the gym that I like--its more of a push excercise than a pulling one, if that makes sense)
5 x 115

Pretty happy with the workout. Chest and biceps are sore.

-Brian

[BJW]

H.I.I.T. Cardio: 6:30 a.m. to 6:50 a.m.

2.56 miles in 20 minutes. I never can run as well in the morning on an empty stomache as I can in the evening. Guess I'm buring more stored fat in the morning, though.

-Brian

[BJW]

Shoulders and abs: 6:00 a.m. to 6:50

Hang Clean
(I've got to have at least part of my crazy football lifts from the past in here, so I've picked cleans. They always get my traps really good, and they warm me up well for everything else. Plus my lifting buddy and I are the only ones in the gym man enough to do them, haha.)
6 x 115 warmup
3 x 135 warmup
1 x 155 warmup
6 x 185
4 x 195
4 x 195

Military Barbell Press
6 x 135
3 x 155 (too much)
5 x 145

Hammer Strength Machine Shoulders
6 x 180
6 x 180

Shrugs
6 x 230 (too light)

Ab Machine Crunch
80 x 6
85 x 4
85 x 6

Decline Crunches
Body Weight x 20
B.W. x 15

Note: Today was the first day of lifting after taking SynTrax Swole V.2. No noticeable difference yet. I've seen lots of guys on here who say thier first day on it is amazing. . .I always thought that might be a load of crap, or a psychological thing. I think a lot of times people are on supplements and they THINK they will lift harder, so they just do. The mind is a powerful thing. Personally, I just try and F*** the weight up every time I get under it to do a set. . .its all about intensity, no matter what supplement I'm on. A crazy mental attitude like that about it is better than any supplement (maybe short of anabolic steriods, haha).

-Brian

[Wheelies]

Great to see another Max OT guy, I have my Max OT journal in here as well. One question though, if you are following Max OT, why on chest day do you have Smith Machine incline, cable crossovers and DB flys, these all go against Max OT parameters.

I think a better chest workout would be..

Flat Barbell Bench: 3 X 4-6
Incline Dumbell: 2 X 4-6
Weighted Leaning Forward Dips: 2 X 4-6

[BJW]

Originally posted by Wheelies
Great to see another Max OT guy, I have my Max OT journal in here as well. One question though, if you are following Max OT, why on chest day do you have Smith Machine incline, cable crossovers and DB flys, these all go against Max OT parameters.

I think a better chest workout would be..

Flat Barbell Bench: 3 X 4-6
Incline Dumbell: 2 X 4-6
Weighted Leaning Forward Dips: 2 X 4-6

Thanks for the suggestions.

Yeah, I know about those lifts. I am lifting with a friend of mine and he really likes them, so I did them with him. I was actually thinking I'd do either DB Incline or Barbell Incline instead of smith incline, and then substituting something else for the flies. Dips sound good, but I don't have a weight belt that lets me put weight on. How do you go about adding weight for the dips? (I've always been a dips fan--they make everything better)

-Brian

[Wheelies]

Originally posted by BJW
H.I.I.T. Cardio: 6:30 a.m. to 6:50 a.m.

2.56 miles in 20 minutes. I never can run as well in the morning on an empty stomache as I can in the evening. Guess I'm buring more stored fat in the morning, though.

-Brian

Oh man...I think you need to go reread the AST site man...dont do cardio on an empty stomach!!!! Your body has been deprived of nutrients all night, when you wake up you are in a catabolic state, the last thing you want to do is any kind of exercise in this state. Take in some complex carbs(plain oats), and some protien.
If you are cutting try 2 whole eggs, 5 egg whites, 3/4 cup oats, 8 oz milk for your first meal of the morning. And also at your bodyweight, I think you should be a little higher with your calories even for cutting, Im 180 right now and Im cutting at about 2400-2500 calories, obviously I lower it occordingly, but I think you have to start off higher, go to this link to figure out what your calories should be at...


http://www.michaelandkendra.com/BMRCALC/bmrcalc.htm

[Wheelies]

Originally posted by BJW
Thanks for the suggestions.

Yeah, I know about those lifts. I am lifting with a friend of mine and he really likes them, so I did them with him. I was actually thinking I'd do either DB Incline or Barbell Incline instead of smith incline, and then substituting something else for the flies. Dips sound good, but I don't have a weight belt that lets me put weight on. How do you go about adding weight for the dips? (I've always been a dips fan--they make everything better)

-Brian

One suggestion, dont do stuff just cuz other people want too...

But as far as the weight belt, you kind of have to buy one, thats what I use. I guess if you were really wanting to do them right now you could use some rope, but you can get dip belts for pretty cheap online...its well worth it...

[BJW]

Originally posted by Wheelies
Oh man...I think you need to go reread the AST site man...dont do cardio on an empty stomach!!!! Your body has been deprived of nutrients all night, when you wake up you are in a catabolic state, the last thing you want to do is any kind of exercise in this state. Take in some complex carbs(plain oats), and some protien.
If you are cutting try 2 whole eggs, 5 egg whites, 3/4 cup oats, 8 oz milk for your first meal of the morning. And also at your bodyweight, I think you should be a little higher with your calories even for cutting, Im 180 right now and Im cutting at about 2400-2500 calories, obviously I lower it occordingly, but I think you have to start off higher, go to this link to figure out what your calories should be at...


http://www.michaelandkendra.com/BMRCALC/bmrcalc.htm

I've read about running with food in the stomach, without, etc. There's several schools of thought and research that supports all of them. If you read anything by Bill Phillips (or EAS) they say run on an empty stomach. . .research shows that you burn way more stored fat calories while if you eat and then run, you just burn what you just ate. To me the bottom line is that I'm running, and I'm going to do good no matter how I go about it.

In my opinion, every supplement company has thier pitch. EAS has Bill Phillips and Body-for-Life. AST has their guy with Max-OT. Everybody has thier own supplements they try to pump you full of and their own research backing their own claims. I also wouldn't take everything on AST's site as fact or truth. I read everything with a grain of salt. I also work in research (medical research) and have degrees in chemistry and biology, so I know how you can make your research say what you want it to say, to a degree.

As far as food intake goes. . .I've been concerned about that as well. I find it hard to top 2000 calories, though in the past 3 or 4 days I've been hitting 2300. Bring on the peanut butter! Actually I've just been taking a few scoops of protein powder with lunch--that kind of thing. Adds 40+g of protein and about 220 calories. In the last 2.5 months I've maintained about 2000 to 2300 cals a day for 6 days a week, then one free day with way way way too much food (this needs to go). I've lost about 11 pounds of fat and gained about 6 pounds of muscle. I can't help but think I'd put on more muscle with more calories, but I want to keep the fat coming off, and this doesn't seem to be a terribly fast rate, even with the lower calories. Maybe I just have a slower metabolism, or maybe i'm sending my body into starvation mode half the time. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the advice.

-Brian

I've followed your journal for a little bit as well--great work! Keep it up. So far I'm liking this program.

[Wheelies]

Originally posted by BJW
I've read about running with food in the stomach, without, etc. There's several schools of thought and research that supports all of them. If you read anything by Bill Phillips (or EAS) they say run on an empty stomach. . .research shows that you burn way more stored fat calories while if you eat and then run, you just burn what you just ate. To me the bottom line is that I'm running, and I'm going to do good no matter how I go about it.

In my opinion, every supplement company has thier pitch. EAS has Bill Phillips and Body-for-Life. AST has their guy with Max-OT. Everybody has thier own supplements they try to pump you full of and their own research backing their own claims. I also wouldn't take everything on AST's site as fact or truth. I read everything with a grain of salt. I also work in research (medical research) and have degrees in chemistry and biology, so I know how you can make your research say what you want it to say, to a degree.

As far as food intake goes. . .I've been concerned about that as well. I find it hard to top 2000 calories, though in the past 3 or 4 days I've been hitting 2300. Bring on the peanut butter! Actually I've just been taking a few scoops of protein powder with lunch--that kind of thing. Adds 40+g of protein and about 220 calories. In the last 2.5 months I've maintained about 2000 to 2300 cals a day for 6 days a week, then one free day with way way way too much food (this needs to go). I've lost about 11 pounds of fat and gained about 6 pounds of muscle. I can't help but think I'd put on more muscle with more calories, but I want to keep the fat coming off, and this doesn't seem to be a terribly fast rate, even with the lower calories. Maybe I just have a slower metabolism, or maybe i'm sending my body into starvation mode half the time. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the advice.

-Brian

I've followed your journal for a little bit as well--great work! Keep it up. So far I'm liking this program.

As far as the cardio thing, Im not just going off of what AST says, I new about not running on an empty stomach before I even saw it on their site. But if you are seeing results, then go for it. You are correct, there are several schools of though from, slow paced, to high intensity short duration, to empty stomach or not empty stomach. Its good that you are skeptical, but from what Iver reasearched, and with what Ive learned about how the body works, I wouldnt recommend it. If you are going to do it on an empty stomach, I definitly wouldnt do HIIT cardio, maybe a longer duration lower intensity would be better. I would at least suggest a protien shake or something and glutamine.


And its hard to tell how many calories you should be taking in unless we know your goals, it seems as though you are having luck losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time because you have only been back for last couple of months, but thats not gonna last too long. If you wanna gain muscle, get on a diet that allows optimal muscle growth, if you wanna cut strictly, get on a diet that helps maintain muscle but shed fat, its much more effecient to do it that way rather than trying to do both at the same time.

If I were you, Id private message the member "EME", thats his calorie calculator I gave you, he knows alot about calories and dieting, have him look at this thread, hes helped me out alot..

[BJW]

thanks, wheelies

I guess my goal is to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. I understand that its near impossible, so I suppose I'm trying more to cut the fat down than to build a huge ammount of muscle. Once I get my body fat down and under control, I'd like to try more of a bulking/cutting cycle kind of program. I'd like to trim down for summer, though, at least trim some of the fat off. I'm at 15% b.f. now--I'd like to get down to 10 or below before June.

-Brian

man, you'd think I should be working or something since I'm at work

[Wheelies]

Originally posted by BJW


man, you'd think I should be working or something since I'm at work

LOL, nope, thats all I do all day at work, surf this and a few other forums...helps the time pass...

[BJW]

Hey wheelies. . .I checked out that calculator. . .Good stuff. I'm going to try and utilize it. I'll go with the cutting for now and see if I can't get any stronger in the process. Maybe once summer is over (or if I ever get my b.f. down where I want it) I'll try the bulking and see if I can't put on some serious strength and size.

What other forums help you pass the time? I do lots of laboratory assays that have 2 and 3 hour incubation times where I'm just sitting here. I guess I should spend my time studying or something more useful, but I would rather surf the web I guess.

-Brian

[Wheelies]

Originally posted by BJW
Hey wheelies. . .I checked out that calculator. . .Good stuff. I'm going to try and utilize it. I'll go with the cutting for now and see if I can't get any stronger in the process. Maybe once summer is over (or if I ever get my b.f. down where I want it) I'll try the bulking and see if I can't put on some serious strength and size.

What other forums help you pass the time? I do lots of laboratory assays that have 2 and 3 hour incubation times where I'm just sitting here. I guess I should spend my time studying or something more useful, but I would rather surf the web I guess.

-Brian

musclemayhem, anabolicminds, virtualbodybuilder

[BJW]

Leg day today.

I'll post the workout as soon as I get a chance. Today was the second workout on Swole V.2. I haven't noticed anything yet, unlike some people in these forums. Others have noted that it took a week or 2 to kick in. The test will come next Monday when I put more wieght on the bench than I did this Monday and see how many times I can lift it. So far there has been no noticable difference in muscle pump during the workout, either. I will note that my shoulders are not as sore as they normally would have been after a good shoulder workout. Possibly due to the supplement, possibly due to more protein. Possibly due to the fact that I could have worked harder than I did (which is almost always true with anybody, in my opinion--you can always work harder). On any note, I felt I worked them as hard as possible in the same manner as my chest, back, bi's and tri's, but the soreness is not as intense as in those other muscle groups. I started the swole prior to shoulder day, but not the other muscle group days.

On another note. . .as suggested by wheelies, I'm going to try and up my calories by a few hundred from 2000 to around 2300 for now. I'm also going to shoot for about 275 grams of protein instead of 200ish.

-Brian

[BJW]

Legs:

Squats
12 x 135 warm up
10 x 135 warm up
6 x 185 warm up
3 x 205 warm up
1 x 225 warm up
4 x 275
4 x 275
5 x 275

*my squats have always been a weak point, mostly due to poor form. I'm really trying to work on perfect form and getting parallel to the floor, so the weights will be slightly lower for a bit.

Leg Press
6 x 650
4 x 700
*I'm guessing the sled weighs 200 pounds. . .???? Every leg press/leg sled is different, so wieghts are always different.

Seated Leg Curls
6 x 155
4 x 160

Seated Calf Raises
6 x 180
6 x 160
6 x 160

The workout was pretty good considering I didn't get enough sleep last night (@5 hours). Legs are definately my least favorite body part to work, but probably the most important. I've got to get 3 45lb plates on each side of that bar when I squat so I don't feel like such a wuss. . .Oh well, I've never seen 90% of the guys in the gym even attempt to squat. I think that just doing the lift made me like the 5th or 6th heaviest squatter in the place. . .pathetic.

Well, here's to pain every time I sit down to take a crap for the next 4 days. . .

-Brian

[Wheelies]

Hey, take it slow and steady on movements like squats and deads. I tried moving up to fast in weight in these exercises and messed my back up a few months ago...still recovering. Just remember, explode up so you dont get buried at the bottom, try to push your feet through the floor.

As far as form, I squat "powerlifting" style and I find it helps me go deeper. I use a wide stance, toes pointed out a little, back arched, chest out, and the first movement you want to make is out with your legs, not down. I was making the mistake of just sitting down basically, which caused me to lean forward and not be able to break parallel with ease. I was also going past my toes alot, which is supposed to be harder on the knees. Its hard to describe over the internet, but if you get what Im saying by "out with your legs", then give it try, might help.

And you got a pretty big leg press compared to your squat, good job.

[Heisman]

Take your time with the squats and deadlifts. You have your whole life to workout, don't be dumb and injure yourself over a couple of weeks of extra training if you go heavy immediately.

[BJW]

It's Monday again, which means chest/bicep day

Started at 6:00 a.m.

Barbell Bench Press:
12 x 115 warm up
10 x 115 warm up
6 x 135 warm up
3 x 155 warm up
1 x 185 warm up
4 x 225
4 x 215
4 x 215

Dumbell Incline:
6 x 70
5 x 75
4 x 75

Hammer Strength Inline Press:
4 x 180
4 x 180
*I think I'm going to make this lift dumbell bench press next workout

Hammer Strength Bench Press:
5 x 160
*as soon as I get a belt I can put weights on, this is going to become weighted dips.

EZ Bar Curls:
4 x 105
6 x 100
6 x 100

Straight Bar Curls
4 x 90
4 x 90
4 x 90

Dumbell Hammer Curls
5 x 35
6 x 35

Hammer Strength Biceps:
6 x 80

Most lifts (especially biceps lifts) are up from last week, which is good, but not as much as I would have hoped. My predicted max on bench press went from 250 last week to 255 this week, according to my highest rep/highest weight set. I suppose any increase is good. I ate pretty badly this weekend (especially yesterday)--lots and lots of sugar. I'm sure my blood sugar was all f'd up this morning, which cause me to feel pretty groggy. I definately didn't feel good until the end of the workout. I really need to watch my weekend eating patterns if I want to maximize my chest workout on Monday morning.

One note: The Syntrax Swole V.2 definately kicked in today. I felt some crazy pumps. . .My forearms during my biceps lifts were to the point of being noticeably uncomfortable and taking a shower after the workout was harder than normal. My chest and arms looked fuller than usual during the workout as well. I did increase in strength, but that should happen naturally, so I can't note on a strength increase, but definately a pump increase. If more blood and nutrients are getting to the muscles, then recovery time should be shorter, which will lead to faster strength gains. I've been taking the swole about 20 to 30 minutes before working out and again about 7:00 p.m. or whenever I have one of my evening meals. I take it in the morning on an empty stomach and feels no ill effects.

-Brian

[OUMoneyMan]

Question for you:

When you list the poundages for Hammer Strength presses, are you giving the amounts of each side or collectively? 160lbs on one the left and right or total?

The reason I ask is that I have used Hammer Strength exclusively the last year and did my first bar bench press workout this last week. I did 220X5, but I can do 290x7, or 145lbs on each side on Hammer Strength. Thanks in advance.

Also, what gym are you at in OKC? Here in Tulsa myself.

[BJW]

OUMoneyMan

I did two 45lb plates on each arm on the Hammer Strength incline press, so 180 total, then a 45 and a 35 on each arm of the Hammer Strength bench for 160 total. I'm not sure why the bench is that much lower than the incline, especially since I can flat bench what I do. I would think my hammer strength bench would be higher, too. I haven't used it very much, and the movement is still kind of wierd for me, so maybe I've got to get used to it a bit. I also might be sitting too high in the bench. Today it felt like the handles were coming down to around my rib cage. . .well below my chest. When you do it, does it come down that low for you? I do feel like I get a good workout with the hammer strength, though, so I want to keep at least one or two lifts of it in my workout. On back day I use the Hammer Strength back machine, which I really feel gives me a good workout.

I work out at the All American Fitness on May between Hefner and 122nd, if you know your streets in OKC.

Good to see another Oklahoma guy out there. . .

-Brian

[OUMoneyMan]

Getting used to any iso-lateral movement like the Hammer Strength machine will take a bit to get used to. As you can see, my bench is paltry compared to what I can do on Hammer Strength. I can do slightly more on the Hammer Incline than the Flat Press, but both are significantly higher than I can do on barbell bench. No way I could get anywhere close to repping with 290 on benchpress.

Try adjusting the seat height for the Hammer Press. I usually have the seat at the '7' setting, and I'm about 5'10. You can also adjust the ROM used by changing the setting 1-5 on each of the bars that hold the weights. The bar should be at the same starting position for you on each the Incline and Flat Hammer Press. I think you'll like the squeeze you get at the top of the movement once you get used to it.

Not sure where your gym is...I'm at Powerhouse here in T-Town.

[Heisman]

Nice workout, and I like the two chest exercises switches you plan to make.

[BJW]

Originally posted by Heisman
Nice workout, and I like the two chest exercises switches you plan to make.

Thanks, Heisman. I need to get a belt that I can use for weighted dips soon--they do a chest good. Would you recommend doing them to failure (probably sets of 15 to 20, depending on where I do them in my workout) until I can get the belt and weights, or should I wait and do them in the 4-6 rep range for the Max-OT program after I get the necessary equipment?

-Brian

[BJW]

Monday 3.22.04

Did some H.I.I.T. cardio today after work (7:30 p.m.).

Treadmill: 20 mins, 2.58 miles.

Didn't feel so good and distance was less than usual. Probably because of my eating over the weekend. The free day is coming to a stop. I'm going to see just how many days I can go in a row of diet perfection. I'm sure my body with thank me.

-Brian

[Heisman]

You might as well go to failure on the dips. Just make sure you do them after the other chest movements. I don't usually say to go to failure on exercises, but I believe bodyweight exercises are the exception.

[BJW]

Tuesday 3.23.04

Back/Triceps Day

Started at 6:15 a.m. Today I substantially raised every lift from last week's workout. I'm going to post today's lifts along with last week's, just to show the difference (and cause I'm a bit proud of myself this morning).

Last Week:_________________This Week:
Hammer Strength Back________Hammer Strength Back
12 x 70 warmup_____________12 x 90 warm up
10 x 70 warmup_____________12 x 90 warm up
6 x 90 warmup______________6 x 140 warm up
3 x 130 warmup_____________3 x 160 warm up
1 x 180 warmup_____________1 x 180 warm up
6 x 230____________________6 x 270
6 x 250____________________5 x 280
6 x 260____________________5 x 280

Cable Rows_________________Cable Rows
6 x 165____________________6 x 170
6 x 165____________________6 x 170
5 x 165____________________6 x 170

Lat Pulldowns_______________Lat Pulldowns
6 x 160____________________6 x 170
6 x 170____________________6 x 190

French Press (scull crushers)____French Press
5 x 95_____________________6 x 95
5 x 95_____________________6 x 95
6 x 95_____________________6 x 100

Cable Triceps Pulldown________Cable Pulldowns
4 x 150____________________6 x 150
5 x 150____________________6 x 150
*weight stack only goes to 150

Reverse Grip Cable Pulldown___Rev. Grip Cable Pulldowns
6 x 120____________________6 x 140
4 x 140____________________6 x 150

Triceps Machine______________Triceps Machine
5 x 115____________________4 x 120

Again, muscle pump was significantly higher than normal due to the Swole V.2, and I can't help but think it helped me squeeze out a few more reps at higher weights. The drastic weight increase on the hammer strength back machine was somewhat due to the fact that I wasn't acclamated to lower reps in my first workout last week, but the strength increase was significant. Overall I was very pleased with the workout, and so far am very pleased with the Syntrax Swole V.2. Also, my chest and biceps are not sore after the workout yesterday, and normally they would be. I think the Swole is aiding my recovery time as well.

-Brian

[OUMoneyMan]

Your experience so far seems par for the course. Check my last post on my journal thread from earlier this morning.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=243846

[BJW]

Thanks for the post, MoneyMan

[Heisman]

Nice job increasing on so many things. You must be doing something right.

[BJW]

Originally posted by Heisman
Nice job increasing on so many things. You must be doing something right.

Thanks

I think some of it is due to the fact that last week was the first week of the program and I was getting acclimated to the lower reps/higher weights. I still expect to increase every week, but maybe not this much. I appreciate the encouragement, though. If there's one thing I'm convinced that I'm doing right and reaping benifits from, its my diet.

-Brian

[BJW]

Wednesday 3.24.04

Cardio Day:

Started at 6:45 a.m.

H.I.I.T. Treadmill--2.55 miles in 20 minutes


Last night I didn't eat my 6th meal and just went to bed--probably need that extra protein in me to build on yesterday's back/tricep workout.

-Brian

[JTP]

Never Posted Before But Amazed...

Our recent history is so much alike. I too started with Body for Life in late November, but I noticed that once I was through the initial 7-8 weeks that it wasn't what was needed moving forward. It is extremely effective at cutting body fat, and toning, but once I started to gain in strength, and put more weight into motion I noticed the reps were to high, and the recovery time wasn't sufficient. I lost 17lbs. (223 to 206) BF went from 18% to 13.5%. So I would highly recommend BFL at the initial stages of training, but Max- OT is definately the way to go. Started Max-OT 1st week of February, and I'll never look back. I'm 36 years old, and with that in mind I've been most successful with Pulling Exercises (Back/Biceps) on Sundays , (Legs/Abs) on Tuesdays , and Pushing Exercises (Chest/Triceps) on Thursdays. Max-OT along with a good diet, and my wife tells me I'm well on my way to looking like the young atheletic man she married 15 years ago.

Brian, I' m very interested in your future results considering our likeness in stature, and recent workout history. One piece of info... I take in roughly 2400 Cals per day, and that simply maintains my body weight. If you want growth at your age you should consume more.

[BJW]

JTP,

Thanks for the post and the encouragement.

I usually try and post everyday and update my journal. I'm pretty anal about writing EVERYTHING down so if I don't update here I can backtrack and keep it up to date. I took my weight and bodyfat measurements last wednesday, so tonight I'll take them again and post this week and last week's results. What do you use to measure your bodyfat. I have a tanita scale and the accumeasure calipers, and I find the calipers are more accurate and more reliable. The scale just goes all over the place, even though my hydration is nearly perfectly the same day in and day out.

As far as eating goes, I'm trying to squeeze in a few extra calories here and there. My problem has been on the weekends. I took the BFL priciples to heart, including the free day. Some Saturdays (my free day) I would eat 5 or 6000 calories, and I'm positive I stunted my fat loss significantly. Right now I'm taking in close to 2300 cals a day and not taking a free day. I got this number from a cutting caloric calculator, and the fact that its hard for me to put down or afford more food. If I start noticing that my weight is coming off more than a pound or two a week, or if my strength is staying the same or decreasing, I'll definately get some more calories in, but so far it seems to be working for me. I think I just have a bit slower than normal metabolism, so I can get by with fewer calories, but I might be wrong.

JTP, I'm curious how much strength you've gained in the last 2 months since you started Max-OT, and how much more you've gained on that compared to BFL. I know on BFL I had some decent strength gains, but I'm hoping for more drastic gains with Max-OT. I'm thinking of going with a push/pull routing myself like this:
Monday: Chest/Triceps
Tuesday: Back/Biceps
Thursday: Shoulders/Abs
Friday: Legs

The only differences from my current routine would be the biceps and triceps, which are just switched now--biceps with chest and triceps with back. It appears from your post that you would recommend the change I've proposed.

Thanks,

-Brian

[BJW]

JTP,

I'm also curious about what you do for cardio. I try and get 3 cardio sessions in a week. Usually I do 20 minutes H.I.I.T. on the treadmill on Monday after work (I lift before work), another 20 min. H.I.I.T. session Wednesday morning (my non-lifting week day), then one long session over the weekend. The weekend session usually involves me trying to keep up with my girlfriend who trains for marathons. Usually she saves a short day for Sunday and I try and get in about 5 or 6 miles. It usually takes around 45 minutes, which I know is slowing her down a lot, but what more can she ask from a fatty like me? I was at one point in my life an offensive lineman till I got moved to linebacker, but even linebackers can have a gut on them.

-Brian

[JTP]

BJW,

Technology, isn't it great. You are right. Scales are extremely erratic.( I think its due to different levels of water retention) Surprisingly, I've been calipered 3 times since the first of the year at the gym and compared it to the simple old standby 5 measurement circumference technique which is amazingly accurate. It consists of chest,abdomen,waist,hips,and iliac (uppermost thigh) relative to body weight.

example: My most recent data

WGT- 206LBS. ( I'm also 6'1")
CHEST- 45 1/8"
ABDOMEN- 36 3/4"
WAIST- 34 1/4"
HIPS- 40 1/2"
ILIAC- 24 1/2"
= 13.5% BF B.T.W. CALIPERS CAME IN@13.8 2WEEKS AGO

My mention of calorie intake is due to my own experience. During the BFL training I reduced calories, and I swear it limited my lean mass growth relative to the last 2 months. I lost weight, and looked better but it terms of size the muscle remained similar.

Last ,but not least...
Yeah, I'm completely sold on my splits because of 2 exercises. Close Grip Bench(push day) and Reverse Grip Pulldowns(pull day).
No doubt about it. You can't help but work the groups together.

But hey, I'm an old guy. I need time to recover and grow!!

p.s.-- I'll get together some of my results from the first week and compare. Yes, the gains have been good on Max-OT.

Jamie

[BJW]

Thursday 3.25.04

Shoulders/Abs Day

Started at 6:20 a.m.

Hang Clean:
6 x 115 warm up
3 x 135 warm up
1 x 155 warm up
4 x 195 -- bit too heavy, form was bad
5 x 185
6 x 185 -- was suprised to get the 6th rep
*almost the same as last week, bit of an improvement

Barbell Military Press (in front)
6 x 145
5 x 155
3 x 155 - bit too heavy, but thought I could get 4
*up from last week

Hammer Strength Shoulders
6 x 190
6 x 200
*definately up from last week

Shrugs
6 x 270
*up from last week

Machine Crunch
6 x 85
6 x 85
4 x 90
*up from last week

Incline Crunches
15 x 25
14 x 25
*decided to hold on to a 25lb plate while I did these

Overall I was pretty pleased with the workout. Most of my lifts increased from last week's shoulders/abs workout (minus the hang cleans). I really was hoping to get more on the cleans, but my form was bad so I backed off to work on correct form. I used to do 4 reps with about 235lbs about 2 years ago. . .would love to get back to that. I've lost some explosiveness in that lift. I am still impressed with the pump from the Swole V.2, as well as the increases in strength.

-Brian

[BJW]

JTP,

You must be pretty solid if you're 205 at about 13% bodyfat. Nice. I measured again last night, so here are the results:
4.17.04 (last wednesday): Weight: 201 Bodyfat: 15.5%
4.24.04 (this wednesday): Weight: 202 Bodyfat: 15.8%

I consider these numbers to be more or less identical, but I'm not suprised at the fact that no change was noted. The weekend between those two Wednesdays was pretty bad--really really bad. I'm glad just to be 201.8 lbs. I'm expecting there to be a bit of variance in the bodyfat from measuring with calipers, and I'm sure these two numbers fall into that variance. I'll take some measurements such as chest, stomach, waist, hips, shoulders, neck, iliac, thighs, calves, etc. Could you give me the equation you use to figure bodyfat from those measurements? Or maybe a link to it or reference. Thanks!

Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to make that change to more of a push/pull routine. I'll let you know how I like it. The more I get into this program, the more I can't wait for it to be 5:30 in the morning--time to go to the gym, haha. I've caught the lifting bug.

-Brian

[JTP]

This link only contains 3 of the 5 measurements I use on an old dial I was given a long, long time ago.



http://www.wholefitness.com/tools.html

Then go to body fat(circumference)

BTW- The Reverse Grip Pulldowns I'm referring to are similar to chins with an underhand grip. They are done from a kneeling position with a pulley stack. Didn't want you to think they were the same as what you call them in your posts. You can load up the full stack, and these things are great on pulling days because you work back,shoulders, and biceps in a big way.

JTP

[Heisman]

Use less reps on the hang cleans and you will see better results.

It is a good thing that you caught the lifting bug.

[BJW]

Friday 3.26.04

Legs - started at 6:45 a.m.

Squat:
12 x 135 warm up
10 x 135 warm up
6 x 185 warm up
3 x 205 warm up
1 x 225 warm up
6 x 275
4 x 285
4 x 285
*didn't feel as good as last week, though weights went up

Leg Press:
6 x 740
4 x 760
*up from last week

Seated Leg Curls
6 x 160
6 x 165
* up from last week

Overall a pretty good workout. I find it hard to get out of bed on Friday morning, so we had to cut the workout short and not do any calves, though the calves got worked on the squat and leg press, so no big loss. I seem to have inherited large calves from my father, so I'm not too worried about them.

-Brian

[OUMoneyMan]

Damn you and your genetically gifted calves.

I'm like you in that I usually have trouble getting a good calves workout after doing legs. My hamstrings usually ache and cramp too much for me to really focus on them.

Good job on upping the weight.

BTW, where did you play your college ball? As you can probably tell from my username, I'm a huge OU fan. Flying back from NYC to Tulsa at 6AM then deadheading it to Norman for the Red/White Spring Game on the 17th.

[BJW]

Sunday 3.28.04

Long Cardio Day

Started at 9:00 p.m.

Run - 5.4 miles

Felt pretty good on this run. Trying to keep up with my girlfriend who's training for a marathon. Good thing she keeps a short day on tap for me on the weekends, but I still hold her way back. I didn't time it, but it felt a bit faster than a 10 minute mile pace. Probably lasted between 45 and 50 minutes.

-Brian

[BJW]

Monday 3.29.04
Chest/Triceps Day

Started at 6:15 a.m.

I decided to go with a push/pull routine in my split, wich basically meant changing chest/bicep day to chest/tricep day. Tomorrow I will do back/bicep rather than back/tricep. I did the same lifts as before, though.

Bench Press:
12 x 135 warm up
10 x 135 warm up
6 x 155 warm up
3 x 165 warm up
1 x 185 warm up
4 x 225
4 x 215
4 x 215
*no increase from last week. I think the warmup was a little heavy. . .I'll start lower next week. Pretty dissapointed that I didn't increase weights any, but I felt better than last week.

Dumbell Incline
6 x 75
4 x 75
4 x 75
*up from last week

Hammer Strength Incline
4 x 180
*same as last week, but only did one rep. I was pretty tired at this point. Probably because I did an extra set of barbell incline before the dumbell incline. . .shouldn't have done that, but thought i would sub it in while I was waiting for a bench.

French Press (scull crushers)
5 x 105
6 x 95
4 x 95
*up from last week (barely)

Cable Triceps Pulldown
5 x 155
4 x 150
*not up from last week, but form was better--i had been cheating

Reverse Grip Calbe Pulldown
4 x 145
4 x 140
*not up from last week, but same as regular grip--got form better

Tricep Machine
4 x 110
*down from last week

Overall the workout kinda sucked in my opinion. I always try and increase lifts, but I didn't on everything today, plus I was pretty exhausted towards the end of the workout. I think it had something to do with the fact that I did not even come close to eating enough this weekend. On Saturday I only took in about 1200 calories, and about 1800 on Sunday--not good at all. That's what I get for sleeping in.

-Brian

[BJW]

Originally posted by OUMoneyMan
Damn you and your genetically gifted calves.

Haha, not the first time I've heard that. Its funny though. . .usually guys with calves like mine have a 4.4 sec. 40 time and a 45 inch verticle. . .dosn't quite work out like that for me, though.

[BJW]

Originally posted by OUMoneyMan
BTW, where did you play your college ball? As you can probably tell from my username, I'm a huge OU fan. Flying back from NYC to Tulsa at 6AM then deadheading it to Norman for the Red/White Spring Game on the 17th.

I played for a small Christian school in Kansas called Tabor College. I played on the line as a freshman (there were only 5 offensive linemen that showed up to camp that year) and then linebacker the other 3 years there. They're an NAIA school, if you are familiar with that division. We were pretty sorry when I got there as a freshman (i'm sure you could tell by the O-line comment earlier), but by my senior year we went 6-4, which was pretty good for us. I stayed 5 years at school, so my 5th year (last year) I was an assistant coach and we went 7-3. This year they went 9-2 and went to the national playoffs. We played Northwestern Okla. STate University and got beat. Northwestern played for the national championship, though, so they didn't do too bad at all.

I'm a pretty big OU football fan, myself. Go Sooners, and don't choke in the big games again. . .you don't know how much crap I took from all my college buddies from Kansas when K-State beat them this year. . .it sucked.

Thanks for the post and the encouragement, OUMoneyMan. Have fun at the game and let me know how they look--supposedly pretty dang good for next year.

-Brian

[Heisman]

Good workouts bro. The higher the calf inserts into your leg the higher the vertical, but you can still train it no matter what.

[OUMoneyMan]

Well, I'm not familiar with Tabor College, but there are all kinds of little schools in Kansas you might never hear of. I had a scholarship offer to play baseball at Independence. I had never heard of it before they came to see me play, and the school is only 2 hours from Tulsa...

There was actually a guy at the gym today with a nasty-ass purple shirt on commemorating the Big XII game. It actually made me smile though when he was doing 200lb leg presses and grunting really hard at the end of each rep...

The Sooners should be damn good this year. I actually used to work for Rivals.com as a second job and produced OU's recruiting video last year.

Look out for Moe Dampeer, Chijioke Onyenegecha and Brodney Pool to have breakout years.

[BJW]

Originally posted by OUMoneyMan

Look out for Moe Dampeer, Chijioke Onyenegecha and Brodney Pool to have breakout years.

Awesome. . .I'll take all the inside info I can get.

thanks

[BJW]

Tuesday 3.30.04

Back/Biceps Day

Started at 6:00 a.m.

Hammer Strength Back
12 x 90 warm up
10 x 90 warm up
6 x 140 warm up
3 x 160 warm up
1 x 180 warm up
6 x 280
5 x 290
5 x 290
*up from last week

Seated Cable Rows
6 x 180
5 x 180
5 x 180
*up from last week

Lat Pulldowns
4 x 200
6 x 190
*up from last week

EZ Bar Curls
6 x 105
5 x 105
5 x 105
*up from last week

Straight Bar Curls
5 x 90
4 x 90
4 x 90
*barely up from last week

Dumbell Hammer Curls
5 x 35
4 x 35
*down from last week, but worked on form--had been cheating

Hammer Strength Biceps
2 x 90
*down from last week--I was pretty exhausted at this point in the workout

Overall I was pleased with the workout. Almost everything increased at least a little and some a lot over last week's numbers. Strength and pump both felt good, but I did get very tired by the end, probably due to my restricted calories.

-Brian

[Heisman]

Good workout. At least you got through the workout before you lost all your energy. That's the important thing.

[BJW]

Originally posted by Heisman
Good workout. At least you got through the workout before you lost all your energy. That's the important thing.

Agreed. I'm cutting right now (at 6'1, 200lbs I'm taking in about 2000 to 2300 cals a day) so I'm happy with any increase in weights/reps and enough stamina to finish the workout. As long as I keep getting stronger while I cut I'm not going to complain.

-Brian

[OUMoneyMan]

It all sounds like it's progressing nicely for you.

I have to give you and others like you credit for actually counting calories. I just do more cardio and eat a bit less...

The Sooners managed to get Oregon on the schedule for this season...just announced today. That will make a much better matchup than Florida A&M.

[BJW]

Wed. 3.31.04

Cardio

Started at 9:30 p.m.

H.I.I.T. - Treadmill

2.55 mi. in 20 min

Felt pretty tired. . .but it was at the end of a looonng day.

-Brian

[BJW]

Thursday 4.1.04

Shoulders/Abs day

started at 6:20 a.m.

Hang Clean
5 x 115 warm up
3 x 135 warm up
1 x 155 warm up
4 x 185
5 x 185
3 x 195
*weights down slightly from last week--pretty dissapointed with that, but form was a bit better on most sets. This one will kill my back if I don't do it right, so I watch my form pretty tightly.

Barbell Military Press
6 x 155
5 x 160
4 x 160
*way up from last week

Hammer Strength Shoulders
4 x 220
4 x 205
*up from last week

Shrugs
6 x 290
*up from last week

Machine Crunch
6 x 85
6 x 90
6 x 95
*way up from last week

Incline Crunches
15 x 25
15 x 25
15 x 25
*up from last week

Overall (minus the hang cleans) I was very happy with this workout. Numbers are way up from last week. So far the Max-OT program has impressed me as strength has continuously gone up week to week despite my lowered calories. This marks the 3rd week since I started the program.

-Brian

[OUMoneyMan]

You noticed any weightloss/fat loss yet?

Curious to see if your strength continues to increase as you shed the pounds.

I'll chalk it up to the combo of Max O/T and NOX2 at this point since we have two variables there that could be the contributing factor.

[bigasssnowman]

How much would you say your strength has gone up since you started? just on the basics pull downs bench deadlift squat military press. also how much weight have you gained since you started?

[BJW]

Sunday 4.4.04

Long Cardio:
Started at 9:30 p.m.
5.4 miles in 52 minutes

-Brian

[BJW]

Monday 4.5.04

Chest/Triceps:

Started at 6:20 a.m.

Barbell Bench Press
12 x 115
10 x 115
6 x 135
3 x 155
1 x 185
6 x 215
3 x 225
3 x 215
*bout the same as last week

DB Incline
6 x 75
6 x 75
4 x 75
*slight increase from last week

Hammer Strength Bench
6 x 160
4 x 180

French Press
6 x 95
4 x 105
6 x 95
*about the same as last week

Cable Tricep Pulldowns
6 x 150
5 x 150
4 x 150
*no increase

Reverse Grip Cable Pulldowns
5 x 140
4 x 140
*no increase

I was pretty wiped out for this workout. . .the decreased calories are taking a toll on me in the weight room. I still managed to increase on a few lifts, but my bench still hasn't budged, which I am pretty dissapointed about. I guess I can't cut and increase strength very well at the same time.




Cardio:
Started: 6:30 p.m.
2.7 miles in 25 minutes. . . .light jog.


I'm trying to get just a bit more cardio in so I went for a short run after work. . .didn't feel so short, especially since I ran 5.4 miles last night. . .legs aren't quite under me yet.

-Brian

[BJW]

Originally posted by OUMoneyMan
You noticed any weightloss/fat loss yet?

Curious to see if your strength continues to increase as you shed the pounds.

I've shed a few pounds, down from 201ish to 198 this morning, and muscle mass seems to stay constant. I'm beginning to notice a decrease in stamina during my workouts, mostly on Mondays. I think the problem is my eating on the weekend. I like to sleep in, so I usually only get 4 meals each on Saturday and Sunday, and they are the same size as when I take in 6 meals. I would estimate that I take in about 3000 to 3500 calories over the whole weekend, which spells disaster I think for a monday morning workout, not to mention sends my body into starvation mode. I really need to work on that, even if I get up to eat then go back to sleep.

Overall I'd say that my strength has stayed constant in a few areas and gone up in the rest of my body while my body fat has dropped slightly. So far I've been on the program 3 and 1/2 weeks.

-Brian

[BJW]

Originally posted by bigasssnowman
How much would you say your strength has gone up since you started? just on the basics pull downs bench deadlift squat military press. also how much weight have you gained since you started?

Here's some preleminary data:

Bench: went from 250 to 260 in 3 weeks
Military Press: went from 170 to 185 in 2 weeks
Squat: Went from 320 to 330 in 1 week

These numbers are predicted max's from my actual workouts. After next week I'll be able to post 4 week numbers.

-Brian

[ben©h_p®ess]

would you reccomend max-ot? I will be going onto a max-ot routine after I have finished my current routine.

[BJW]

Originally posted by ben©h_p®ess
would you reccomend max-ot? I will be going onto a max-ot routine after I have finished my current routine.

Sure, I would definately recommend it. If you read earlier in my journal I was on the Body-For-Life workout for about 10 weeks, and now I'm in my 4th week of Max-OT. So far I love the workout, and strength gains have been pretty good, especially considering that I am eating restricted calories. I just got tired of pushing tons of reps and getting worn out on my 3rd set of every lift. Max-OT lets you push as much weight as possible, which is just more fun, if you ask me.

Bench Press, what routine are you doing now, and how long have you been doing it?

-Brian

[ben©h_p®ess]

Originally posted by BJW

Bench Press, what routine are you doing now, and how long have you been doing it?

-Brian

I am currently doing a six week HST/DFHT routine from FI's website. I'm on my first loading week(3rd week). I have one more loading week then two weeks deloading.